The Hardest Thing
by Lovely Little Muse
Summary: SEQUEL TO CHANGING Lucius is furious at his discovery of Hermione and Draco together, so he puts a spying spell on them to assure that their relationship ends. Will they be able to pull through it, or will the stress beat them down?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter characters, settings, or anything affiliated with them. All the characters, places, and settings you recognize belong to JK Rowling and Warner Bros.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I stared at myself in my full-length mirror, taking in my appearance. I had definitely changed again over the summer, and had come to wear darker clothes. I currently had on a pair of black, baggy cargo pants, and a tight black t-shirt that came above my belly button that had 'Linkin Park' written across it. I decided not to wear any makeup, including the black eyeliner I'd come accustomed to putting on every day.  
  
But this wasn't just an ordinary day. Today was the day I was to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Today was the day I had thought would never come soon enough, but now that it was here, I was a little nervous. I was now approaching my 6th year of schooling, but it was the first year that I wouldn't be greeted warmly by my best friends, Harry and Ron, at platform 9 and ¾.  
  
My priorities seemed to have flip-flopped, being almost the exact opposite as what they had been last year. Last year at this time, I was barely able to contain my excitement at the idea of seeing my two best friends, and the one thing I was dreading more than anything was coming face to face with Draco Malfoy again. Now, I had had to suffer through the summer plagued by thoughts only of Draco and my friends, but it was Draco I was counting down the days to see. I would have been happy to see my friends, too, had I known that they reciprocated my feelings, but after our last argument the year before, I figured that was out of the question.  
  
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and tried to forget about Ron and Harry, and focus on Draco. I smiled slightly just at the thought of him, as I dragged my heavy trunk down the stairs and out to the waiting car. I then heaved it into the trunk, shut the door, and hopped into the seat behind the driver as we pulled out of the driveway.  
  
"So Hermione," my mother began, in attempt to start a conversation. "I bet you're looking forward to seeing Harry and Ron again, right?" I winced. I knew my mother meant well, because I had simply avoided the whole issue, telling her that nothing new had happened at school. After all my stories of how Draco Malfoy had treated my friends and I, I didn't expect them to understand that I was going out with him.  
  
I didn't blame my mother for trying to start up a conversation, however. It was obvious that my parents had clearly seen the change in me this summer, more so than last, and they didn't like it. My taste in music had changed, and I began listening to things such as Linkin Park, Eminem, Good Charlotte, and the like. I would stay up later at night, and sleep until at least noon. I had a feeling that my parents thought I was going to parties and getting into trouble, but I wasn't. They didn't understand. Lately I'd been feeling like no one really understood.  
  
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Draco's POV  
  
Quickly, I began shoving things in my trunk, hurrying madly to get to the platform on time. I should have known that my alarm clock would 'break' on the day I had to return to Hogwarts. Stealing a second to glance at my watch, I cursed when I saw that I only had half an hour until the train would leave, and I doubled my pace.  
  
Frustrated, I tore the drawer off of my dresser, and dumped it's contents into my trunk, muttering a shrinking spell to make it all fit. I repeated this until all of my clothes were packed, then went to my closet. I grabbed an armload of my Hogwarts school supplies, including books, parchments, quills, and who knows what else. After I'd dumped it into my trunk and shrunken it, I grabbed another armload. For my last trip, I stuffed everything that was left into my black cauldron, lifted it easily, and dropped it into the trunk, closing it.  
  
I didn't want to take the chance that my father was home to yell for a house elf, because if he was sleeping I most certainly did not want to wake him up. My plan was to leave the house as soon as possible, without alerting him, because I knew that he would try to stop me.  
  
*******************************FLASHBACK*****************************  
  
"Draco!" my father's voice boomed through our entire Manor, burning with fury. "What is the one thing I have always taught you? Do you indeed have any shred of intelligence in you to remember what I've always said?"  
  
I wouldn't let him see that he affected me in the slightest. "Father," I began in what I hoped sounded like a calm, cold voice. "I remember what you've taught me, but, and if I'm not mistaken we've been through this, I don't agree with it." I was pleased to see that my appearance of indifference at freely disobeying his rules did nothing but enrage him further.  
  
"And you call yourself a Malfoy," he spat, voice dripping with menace. "If you do not make a brilliant comeback from this, I swear, I'll do something you'll regret."  
  
"Like what," I taunted. "Disown me?"  
  
My father's eyes narrowed dangerously, becoming no more than slits, and making him appear even more like a treacherous snake. "No," he whispered, glaring at me, his eyes boring holes in mine. "But I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you? No," he repeated. "I don't see what else I can do to make you see my point than to threaten someone close to you."  
  
*********************END FLASHBACK***********************************  
  
I closed my eyes and gulped at the memory. That had been only the day before, and I still felt the pain from my father's little 'gift' he'd left me with, 'to remember our little chat'. He'd broken my arm, and I used the best healing charm I knew, but it was still sore. I stopped to grab a small black velvet box and tucked it in my pocket before I lugged my suitcase down the stairs, trying to go quietly, not wanting to unleash my father's wrath when I had so little time to get to the train station. Luckily, I knew a way to get there quickly. I brought my trunk to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and tossed it into the fireplace after stepping in. "Malfoy Flat!" I said loudly and clearly.  
  
I arrived in the cold, unused fireplace of my flat in London, right near the train station. I'd purchased the flat last summer, figuring I could use it to get away from my father if he ever took a step too far. Now I was glad I had. I had ten minutes to get to platform 9 ¾, so I quickly exited, and rushed out onto the busy streets of London. I was surprised when I got there that the barrier had not closed itself off yet. I discreetly slipped through, then sprinted to the train, which was about to leave. I jumped on just before it began to pull away, dragging my trunk behind me.  
  
In my rush, I had not really had time to think about much of anything, but now I was forced to recall everything. It all came rushing back to me: my father, his threat, and my mother, whom he'd beaten so bad yesterday that I had to take her to the hospital. It was probably better that way, though, because at least he couldn't get to her there. And then it also occurred to me where I was: The Hogwarts Express, and Hogwarts meant Hermione.  
  
It had been torture these past three months, going through day after day without her. The most unbearable thought, however, was what was going to happen now that I got the chance to see her again. While I'd been thinking I'd been walking down the length of the train, and I finally came to what I was looking for: a storage compartment in the very back of the train, with no students in sight. I stowed my trunk there, and leaned against the wall. I took a few deep breaths, steeling myself for what I knew I had to do. I tried to convince myself it wouldn't be that bad, that we would work it out somehow, but I knew that it was next to impossible. Shaking my head sadly, I set off down the train again to look for Hermione.  
  
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A/N: Here it is!! The first chap of my new story!! I figured it was the least I could do after you guys gave me such wonderful reviews for Changing. Special thanks go out to all my reviewers, but especially Saber, who helped me get to 500 reviews!! THANKS YOU GUYS!!!! Okay, those of you who are expecting fluff will get it in this story, but not as much romantic stuff as in Changing. This fic will probably be a little bit darker, and the next one will be even more so. Also, these next two fics will probably not be as long as Changing. Just so you know what to expect. Anyways, hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon, please review!! 


	2. Faking It

Chapter 2  
  
Draco's POV  
  
I wandered down the aisle of the train, trying to search each compartment discreetly, looking for Hermione. I spotted Ginny Weasley heading into a compartment to my right, so I followed her, expecting to find Hermione there. I stopped just short of the door, however, after not seeing her. That surprised me. I knew that she and the wonder boys were having a disagreement, but I thought Ginny and Lavender were still her friends.  
  
I continued down the aisle to the beginning section of the train, where no one but unknowing first years ever sat. When I finally found Hermione, she was in one of these compartments. I took a moment to look her over before entering, and was a little surprised by her appearance. She was wearing all black, except for her t-shirt, which said 'Linkin Park' in gold across it. Her knees were hugged to her chest and she wasn't moving, just staring out the window.  
  
Slowly, I slid the compartment door open. She must have been so deeply lost in her thoughts that's he didn't hear me, because she didn't make any movement of recognition that anyone else was there. I walked slowly over to the bench she was sitting on and sat down next to her. Feeling my movement, she quickly spun, and the surprise in her wide eyes was quickly wiped away as she smiled, and they became glossy with tears before she flung her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly as she buried her face in my chest. We stayed like that for a while, and when she pulled away she was still smiling.  
  
"Oh god, Mione, I missed you so much," I whispered before leaning in to kiss her. We came up for breath several times, only to return with as much passion and urgency as before, if not more. I finally pulled back for good, knowing that I couldn't escape what had to be done. "Hermione," I said, suddenly serious. "I need to talk to you." Her brown eyes grew slightly wider again, and she was about to speak but I cut her off. "Not here. I stowed my trunk in the storage compartment at the back of the train. I'm gonna go there now, and you wait a few minutes and then follow me, okay?" She nodded, and I stood up to leave after giving her another kiss.  
  
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Hermione's POV  
  
I slipped into the compartment I thought Draco had meant, and found myself amidst hundreds of trunks... alone. But then Draco popped up from behind a rather tall stack and pulled me back with him. My entire body tingled with an odd sensation for a moment as I was pulled through some sort of magical barrier, most likely a silencing spell. We both settled ourselves into the small place, sitting on the floor, facing each other.  
  
He took one of my hands in each of his, and took a deep breath, looking down at his lap. "Hermione," he began, finally meeting my eyes. "He knows. I don't know how, but my father somehow found out about us being together, and, Hermione, he isn't happy to say the least. He threatened to kill you, Mione."  
  
Tears stung in my eyes as his words sunk in. "But what does this mean? Okay, so I'm in danger, but that's not anything new."  
  
He simply shook his head, sadly. "We have to end it, Hermione. It's the only way. I won't see you get hurt, I refuse."  
  
"But... I just had to spend three and a half months away from you, and now you're saying that I have to see you every day, but pretend like I hate you again? No. No, Draco, I can't do that! It will kill me, and you too eventually, you know it but just won't admit it!"  
  
"It's the only way, Hermione. We don't have a choice. I love you, and I'm sorry, but I won't see you hurt just because we are together. We have to end it."  
  
"No," I whispered as the tears began to fall. I couldn't hold them back any longer. The one thing I had to look forward to all summer was gone, and I was left with nothing... I had lost my friends and now I was losing the love of my life, all because of a stupid kiss that had me hooked... God it seemed so long ago now, but...  
  
"Hermione, here. I had this made for you. As long as it's warm, then you know that I still love you. I have one for myself, but you have to activate it. If you want to, that is," he added on afterthought.  
  
I looked up at him through my tears and managed a shaky smile before the tears came harder and a sob wrenched itself from my chest. "Of course I will. How?"  
  
"You just think of me, and then you kiss it." He laughed a bit, but it sounded strangled. "Corny, I know, but..." He trailed off as I immediately did what he instructed, and slid the ring on his index finger. It was the first chance I had to really look at it, and I saw that it was just a thick silver band. Mine was identical, but much slimmer.  
  
"Hermione," he began again. "Look at me." I raised my eyes to his. "I cheated on you. I met someone else over the summer, and then broke up with you the moment you got on the train. Now, go find Harry and Ron, tell them they were right, and I'm a jerk. Then I'll walk by later, find you, and I'll give you back... uhh, I don't know, I'll figure something out. That's when I will say some nasty stuff to you, and you have to break down completely. We have to convince everyone that we aren't together anymore, or this will all be a waste. Even in our common room, you have to mope around for a while, then get bitchy towards me, just like you would if this was real. Go, the snack trolley will be going through soon and I think it ends in here. And, Hermione, remember. I broke your heart."  
  
"Yes, you did. You cheated on me..." I repeated his story more to myself than him. I felt his hands cup my cheeks as his thumbs gently wiped away my tears. We leaned in for one last kiss, a kiss that was filled with desperate passion, and I leaned in as he pulled away, not wanting it to end.  
  
"Go," he whispered. I nodded slowly, and he slipped the ring on my finger. It burned hot for a second, then settled down to a gentle, pulsing warmth.  
  
I didn't look back as I stood up and forced my legs to carry me out of the car. I wiped the tears from my face as I walked down the hall, but I couldn't seem to stop them flowing down my face. There was a door open up ahead, and I heard Harry and Ron's voices floating to me from inside, along with those of Ginny and Lavender. I took a deep breath and walked quickly past, letting a sob escape my chest as I did.  
  
"Hermione! Oh my god, what's wrong?" Ginny jumped up and rushed out, just like I knew she would. With a glance at the guys, I murmured "Nothing," and tried to pull away, but she and Lavender held me tight. "Oh, yeah, sure, now really, what's wrong? You can tell us."  
  
"Yeah, what's wrong? Your boyfriend make you mad?" Rom chimed in, earning himself glares from both Ginny and Lavender. Seeing my opening, I burst into sobs at this comment.  
  
'You can do this Hermione,' I thought quickly as I let out one last sob and spun to face Harry and Ron. "Do you really want to know? Well, here it goes. Draco, my boyfriend whom I loved with everything I had, dumped me because he met someone else over break. I didn't get one single letter all summer, because while I was writing to the man I loved, he was with another girl. But wait, shouldn't I still have gotten letters from my friends? No, because I lost them for a love that turned out to be one- sided. And now I don't know why I'm standing here telling you this, because I know all you're going to do is rub it in my face. Well, let me save you the trouble. I know now that this was all a mistake, and that loving Draco was a mistake, but my heart never asked me what I wanted. Now I've lost everything that mattered to me, and I'm all alone. And from where I'm standing, it doesn't appear that that's going to be changing anytime soon. He's still with that other girl, and you two both still hate me, and I'm sure you're itching to rub this in my face. So that's what's wrong. Are you happy now?"  
  
Once I'd gotten that out, I burst into tears, and tried to pull away from Lavender and Ginny, but they wouldn't let go. They dragged me into their compartment, shutting the door in Harry and Ron's faces. "Oh, Mione!" Ginny gushed the second the door closed, pulling me into a hug. "We're so sorry!" I didn't answer, just kept crying. I heard a soft scraping and glanced up to see the door to the compartment sliding open. Harry and Ron were standing there looking very guilty and uncomfortable. I was the only person facing the hall and I noticed Draco sauntering toward us, his face a mask of a person I had hated for all my life. It wasn't my Draco, his eyes were steely ice, something I hadn't seen for a long time. For a split second I met his eyes and I watched them soften at the sight of me, but he immediately pulled the wall back up.  
  
"I want my sweatshirt back, Granger. I have to burn it. After all, I let a Mudblood wear it. I still don't know where that six months of insanity came from." I winced and a sob escaped me: this was going to be harder than I thought.  
  
"Go away, Malfoy. Leave Mione alone."  
  
With a sneer, Draco continued talking to me, ignoring Ginny. "So this is how it's gonna be, huh Granger? Now that I finally came to my senses, you're gonna run to all your little Gryffindors and turn them all against me? Sorry to break it to you, but you're too late, because they already hate me and that is just the way I want it. Just because I dumped you, after not getting the one thing I started going out with you for in the first place, now you're best friends with them again. Typical." His face was contorted into a look of pure hate... he was a good actor, I had to give him that. If it wasn't for the gentle warmth coming from my ring finger, I would have believed every word he said.  
  
"Oh you did NOT just say what I think you said, Malfoy." Ginny had turned to him, fury written all over her face.  
  
"What? That I was only with Granger for her body and when she didn't give me what I wanted, I looked elsewhere? You're right, I didn't say that. I phrased it differently."  
  
"You ass!"  
  
"What was that, Potter?" Harry was not standing right in front of him, and his face rivaled Draco's own for hatred. Then, without a word, he pulled back his fist and slammed it into Draco's face with a sickening crack. He was sent flying back into the wall, and stayed there in shock while Harry continued to yell at him.  
  
My eyes widened in surprise, and a little respect, at the curses Harry was able to throw at Draco. I noticed for the first time that I wasn't the only one who had changed over the summer. Harry was dressed much like myself, and in the muggle world would have been looked at as a possible 'gang member'. Apparently he picked up some nice phrases from the muggle world as well. "Fuck you!" he screamed. "What makes you think you can treat her like that, you son of a bitch! You never deserved her!"  
  
He was now creating a bit of a scene, and one innocent first year who happened to be walking by heard the conversation and hurried away with wide eyes. I would have been quite impressed with Harry's outburst if it hadn't been directed at my boyfriend. Ron and Ginny were now trying to pull him back, because he looked as if he could kill Malfoy right then. "You little, disgusting ferret! Why don't you go back to the sewer you crawled out of!" Draco stood up and stalked out holding his bleeding nose, after giving us all one last glare. "Yeah, that's right!" Harry called as he retreated down the hall.  
  
I sighed, and flopped down onto the seat. Ron came over and sat on my right, and Harry sat on my left side.  
  
"Don't worry, Mione," Ron comforted. "Forget about him, he never deserved you. He isn't even worth your tears." Carefully, he reached up a hand and wiped away the last tear that was streaking down my cheek.  
  
I managed a shaky smile. "Thanks, Ron." I turned to the rest of them: Harry, sitting next to me with his arm around my shoulders, and Lavender and Ginny sitting on the bench across from us. "Thank you guys so much, for everything. It means more than anything to me that you're all here for me."  
  
"No problem, Mione," Harry assured me. "I'm just sorry we weren't here for you before." Ron nodded his agreement.  
  
"That's okay." I sniffled, then laughed a little. "Look at me! I'm a mess. I'm gonna go freshen up, and change while I'm at it. I'll be back in a little while."  
  
I let myself out of the compartment and walked to the back of the train. When I stepped into the storage car, I saw Draco sitting on the floor, with his head in his hands. He didn't look up when I entered, so I broke into his thoughts. "Nice performance."  
  
He glanced up, and the look of surprise disappeared when he saw that it was me. He stood up and looked me in the eyes, shaking his head sadly. "I'm so sorry, Mione. You're right, this is too hard. Just remember that I don't mean a single thing I say out there, alright?"  
  
I nodded. "It's okay. I know," I whispered, looking down at my feet. Suddenly remembering, I looked back up at his nose, which was still sitting at an odd angle, and my eyes widened. "Draco, I'm so sorry, I didn't ever think Harry would punch you! May I?" I asked, pulling out my wand. I muttered a quick healing spell to fix his nose.  
  
"Thanks," he breathed, leaning down so that his breath fluttered on my neck. I looked up and met his eyes for a helpless moment, then his lips were on mine. They were soft and gentle, but held a passion that couldn't be contained. When he pulled away, he didn't need to say anything. I knew it was time for me to go.  
  
Slowly, I walked down the train to the bathroom. I had to force my feet to take each step, and my heart was protesting the whole way. I was walking away from the one person I never ever wanted to leave.  
  
************************************************************************ A/N: Here it is, the second chapter! Be happy! They're longer! Okay, I'm gonna have some SERIOUS character changes coming up, and it might be too sudden, but I wanna write it, but I don't want anyone to be mad, ok? Ok. Now, review!! 


	3. Back at School

Chapter 3  
  
Draco's POV  
  
We finally pulled up to the school, and I followed the other students out of the train. The professors had contacted us earlier and told all of the 6th year prefects to meet in the front carriage. I swung myself up into the carriage, and saw that it had an enlargement spell on it, so that the inside was actually much bigger than it appeared. Professors Snape, Hooch, and Sprout were already seated comfortably on the benches, along with Terry and Hannah, who made prefects again this year as well.  
  
After a few moments, Professor McGonagall stepped up, followed closely by Hermione. She swung up, took one look at me, and I saw her eyes harden. She took a seat on the other side of Hannah and Terry, as far from me as possible. "Where's Albus?" McGonagall asked.  
  
"Not here yet," Snape muttered. We waited for a few more minutes, watching as several of the carriages headed off toward the school. Finally, the door on Hermione's side opened, and Professor Dumbledore squeezed in, and the carriage started moving.  
  
He was looking quite perturbed, and it was obvious something was wrong. Apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed. "Albus, what is it?" Professor McGonagall asked.  
  
He turned to her, and the look of disturbance quickly left his face. "Nothing, nothing," he assured. "My apologies for being late. Now," he turned to us prefects. "I assume you all know why you're here. Congratulations, you've all been chosen to continue in the prefect position. As a first order of business this year, I'll be needing you to plan the Halloween event. Last year was spectacular, so I trust that you four will be able to handle it without the help of the Heads, since they have other business to attend to. Also, after the success of last year, we have decided to continue the beginning tradition of class trips. I don't expect you to start working on them yet, but keep it in mind, and begin to think of places each year could go. I hope to have the destinations change each year, so that the same location is not visited twice.  
  
Also, as I'm sure you are aware, 6th years and up are allowed to visit Hogsmeade as often as you like, as long as your visits do not interfere with your classes or occur after curfew. Have I forgotten anything?" he asked the other teachers.  
  
"We have found new quarters for the Head boy and girl, so Miss Chang and Mr. Mendel will not be living with you," McGonagall added.  
  
"Ah, of course," said Dumbledore. "Your quarters, of course, are the same. The password is currently the same it was last year, and you may change it once you get inside. Now," he concluded as we arrived at the castle. "Your trunks will be brought up, and I hope you enjoy the feast. That is all."  
  
I hopped out of the carriage and hurried up the steps of the school, not wanting to fake another confrontation with Hermione right then. I heard her behind me, greeting Hannah and Terry, and I knew we would need to do our performance again for them.  
  
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Hermione's POV  
  
"Hey Hermione!" I turned at the sound of my name and saw Hannah waving at me. I smiled and waved back, waiting for them to catch up. "Where's Draco?" she asked as her and Terry matched step with me.  
  
I shrugged. "Don't know, don't care," I said coldly.  
  
Hannah gasped. "Mione, what happened?"  
  
"We broke up, to put it mildly."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry!"  
  
"It's okay. I don't care, he's a jerk."  
  
"Man, Mione," Terry sympathized. "I'm so sorry. Draco really had me believing that he'd changed, and I can't believe he broke up with you."  
  
"For another girl," I added.  
  
Hannah gasped again. "Oh my gosh! What an ass!" I nodded as we hurried up the stairs to the Great Hall.  
  
"I'll see you guys later, okay?" I called. I was afraid I might not be acting enough, and knew that Draco and I would have to put on a great performance in the common room. They waved at me and made their way through the crowd to their respective tables.  
  
I spotted a dark copper colored head, and went over to plop down in the seat reserved for me between Harry and Ron. "Where're Ginny and Lav?" I asked. They didn't have a chance to respond as Dumbledore called for our attention, but Harry nodded his head vaguely in the direction of the end of the table, where I now saw them sitting.  
  
"If I may have your attention," Dumbledore was saying, "We would now like to begin the sorting ceremony." McGonagall carried the Sorting Hat and it's stool out to the center of the room. When she left, it sang a little song, and sorting began.  
  
I looked to Ron, who had a thoughtful look on his face. "Life as a hat must get pretty dull," he whispered. "I bet it spends all year coming up with a new song." Harry let out a snort of laughter. I smiled, shaking my head, and turned back to the front in time to see Nicole Adams be sorted into Gryffindor, and I cheered along with everyone else. After another half hour of sorting, Gryffindor had 27 new members.  
  
By now, everyone was starving, and groaned as Dumbledore stood up again. "Just a few more moments of your time, and you will be able to eat. The Forbidden Forest is, as always, forbidden. Now, regarding the class trip." At this, the restless people in the Hall quieted and paid rapt attention to what he said next. "Due to the great success of last year, and the excellent arrangements made by our prefects..." I blushed, and he paused for effect, everyone hanging on his every word. "We have decided to continue the tradition of the class trip!" The Great Hall erupted in cheering, and Dumbledore quieted us once again.  
  
"Just a few more minutes, I promise. Our prefects will be once again planning the Halloween event. By the way, the prefects remain from last year: Hannah Abbot, Terry Boot, Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy. The new Head boy and girl are Evan Mendel and Cho Chang. That is all, thank you."  
  
As he finished, the plates in front of us filled with food, and everyone eagerly dug in. I reached for a dinner roll, and set it on my plate, then scooped on some salad, no dressing. I'd been feeling a little self-conscious lately, and wanted to lose some weight.  
  
Harry was steadily shoveling lasagna into his mouth, and Ron was practically inhaling his mashed potatoes. I pulled my roll open and began pulling off little bits, eating it one piece at a time. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and looked up to see Dean, Seamus, and Neville sit down across the table.  
  
I grinned. "Hey, guys! I haven't seen you in forever!"  
  
"Hey," Dean and Seamus chorused, and Neville just smiled. "How've you been?" Dean asked.  
  
I wasn't sure if people who didn't know about me and Draco in the first place were supposed to know about our 'break-up'. I smiled and decided to keep up the act of being perfectly fine. "I've been okay," I replied light-heartedly. "What about you?"  
  
"Been great," Dean beamed.  
  
Seamus sighed and rolled his eyes. "He got a girlfriend, and now he thinks he's the king of the world."  
  
I laughed. "Well, congratulations, Dean. Who is she?"  
  
He beamed even wider, if that was possible. "Marissa Jenkins," he replied. I listened as he described her: a witch he'd met at a Quidditch game, who liked sports, and was apparently perfect for him.  
  
The talk about Marissa soon evolved into a heated debate over (what else?) Quidditch. Soon it was time to leave the Great Hall. Dumbledore had told us prefects to take the others to their common room, then we could go straight to our quarters, without waiting for him.  
  
I was just standing up when Ron exclaimed, "Hermione! You barely ate any of your food."  
  
I shrugged. "I'm not very hungry." He seemed to accept this answer, and he went over to Lavender and put an arm around her shoulder. "Alright, everyone, please follow me!" I called, raising my voice to be heard. I started briskly walking down the hall to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
I came to the portrait of the fat lady, and she greeted me. "Hello, Hermione, it's good to see you. Password?"  
  
"Lionhearted," I replied smoothly, and she smiled, swinging open to permit us to enter. The first years were in awe of the beautiful common room. I smirked. 'If they think this is good, they should see where I live,' I thought. "This is the Gryffindor common room," I announced. "Boys' dormitories are up the stairs and down to the left, girls' the same on your right." Many students rushed up the stairs, leaving only a few, older students in the room, including Dean, Seamus, Harry, Ron, Lavender, and myself, with a few 7th years.  
  
"Guys, I'm going back to my room for a while, okay? I'll come back later," I told them.  
  
"Alright Hermione, bye!" Lavender called. I waved over my shoulder on my way through the portrait to my room. I smiled as the door swung open to reveal my beautiful room. I had always felt at home here at Hogwarts, and I'd missed it over the summer.  
  
There was a lot that I had missed about Hogwarts, including the people. My best friends were back now, but at the cost of my love for Draco. I sighed, and flopped onto my back, my knees and down hanging off my four-poster bed. I had gained one thing, and lost another.  
  
I looked up at my charmed digital clock, which I assumed house elves had unpacked along with everything else. It was 9:30, and I decided to take a shower before heading back to the Gryffindor room. I gathered some pajamas in my arms, and walked quietly and slowly down the stairs, praying that the three other prefects weren't all downstairs. I wasn't in the mood to put on another fight performance with Draco.  
  
I had to bite back a groan as I entered the common room. Hannah, Terry, and Draco were all there, studying and preparing for classes the next day. My hopes of sneaking by unnoticed were killed when all three of them looked up at my entrance. I caught Draco's eyes for a split-second, and saw in them that he knew what we had to do. His face fell, and I forced my features to be cold and indifferent, knowing my eyes would glass over and make my emotions unreadable, a trick I'd learned from Draco.  
  
At the exact same time, I saw his face take up his infamous smirk, and his eyes iced over. "Why, hello! If it isn't the little Mudblood bitch. Don't think you can avoid me for the entire rest of the year, now, we still live together remember."  
  
Hannah and Terry both looked shocked, and I knew we were succeeding in making them believe our act. And I had to hold up my part, because we couldn't afford for anyone, including even them, to know we still had feelings for one another. "How could I forget?" I replied.  
  
"That's a good question. Well don't worry, Granger. I'll be here to enforce your memory." I was shocked at how cruel and evil he sounded as he hissed the threats. "Every time you turn around, I'll be there. I will never let you forget about me, and I will make your life a living hell."  
  
I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I didn't bother to stop them, knowing that it would just add to the drama we were feeding the other two prefects. I stood there for another moment, my bottom lip trembling, then when the tears finally fell, I ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.  
  
Once I was safely inside the bathroom with the door locked, I turned on the water in the shower, and stared into the mirror as it warmed up. My eyes were bloodshot and my cheeks were stained with tears. My hair was falling out of the loose ponytail I'd put it in at the nape of my neck. Unlike other people, who saw a beautiful, skinny girl with healthy, shiny hair and emotion-filled chocolate brown eyes, I saw a chubby girl with limp, mousey brown hair and dark, dull eyes.  
  
When the water was hot, I shed everything I was wearing, except my ring. The warmth was comforting, and I didn't want to take it off. I stepped into the shower, gasping as the hot liquid scalded my skin, but I quickly grew accustomed to it. I stood and let the water run through my hair and beat down on my back.  
  
After about half an hour, I reluctantly turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I dried off with my dark maroon towel, put on my pajamas, and then used a simple spell to dry my hair. Gathering my clothes in my arms, I ventured back out into the common room, and was happy to see that Draco wasn't there anymore.  
  
As soon as they heard the door open, Hannah and Terry looked up. "Oh, Mione," Hannah gushed. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, Hannah, thanks, but I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure? I can't believe that... that... that filthy Malfoy!"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure, and I know. I'm just going to go to bed, alright? I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"Alright, Hermione. Goodnight."  
  
"G'nite, Mione," Terry called as I climbed the stairs to my room.  
  
I opened my bedroom door and dumped my clothes on the floor, then almost screamed as I looked up. "Sshhh, it's okay," Draco whispered. He was sitting on my bed, apparently waiting for me, but he'd scared me out of my mind.  
  
I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Holy shit, Draco," I breathed. "You scared the hell out of me!"  
  
"I'm sorry," he muttered, slowly walking toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."  
  
I nodded slightly. "Yeah," I whispered. "I'm fine. I know you didn't mean it."  
  
"Good," he mumbled, his lips now mere centimeters from mine. "Cause you know I love you, right?"  
  
"I know," I said shakily. Him being this close to me seemed to have strange effects on my breathing abilities. I didn't have to worry about it much longer, though, as he pressed his lips to mine in a hard, rough kiss. His muscled arms went around my waist and one of his hands slid up my back, pulling me closer to him. I broke away and drew in a hurried breath before coming back for more. One of my hands entangled itself in his silky blond hair while the other one stayed planted on his chest. He was slowly pushing me backwards, and I felt the back of my legs hit the edge of my bed. Quickly and gently, in one swift movement, he pushed me down so that his body was pinning me on the bed.  
  
All the sudden I heard a knock on the portrait between my room and the Gryffindor common room, and we both froze. I took a sharp breath and held it in my throat as Draco quickly straightened up. "Hermione?" I heard Harry's voice on the other side of the wall. "Are you in there?" My eyes grew wide, and I motioned for Draco to leave. He quickly left my room and opened his door as quietly as possible, slipping inside and shutting it behind him.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here, just a second!" I called. I frantically smoothed out my clothes and my hair, and swiped the back of my hand across my mouth. A glance in the mirror above my dresser told me that my lips were a little red, but other than that I was clear. I opened the portrait and smiled at Harry, entering the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"I didn't wake you up, did I?" he asked worriedly.  
  
I grinned. "No, you didn't, don't worry."  
  
"Okay, good. You wanna come talk for awhile?"  
  
"Sure," I replied, following him to one of the many mini-couches. I plopped down onto a couch, and Harry followed, slinging his arm over the back of the couch behind me. Dean and Seamus were playing chess, and Ron and Lavender were sitting together on the couch facing mine and Harry's. We were the only ones in the common room. "Where's Ginny?" I asked.  
  
"She went to bed already," Harry replied. "Said she was really tired." I nodded in recognition. "So are you coming to the Quidditch tryouts, Ron? We have a Chaser position open."  
  
Ron's eyes grew excited, and he looked like a little kid in a candy store. "Do you really think I could make it, Harry?"  
  
"I don't see why not," Harry shrugged. "I think you have a good chance, and you should definitely come out for the team. You'd make an excellent Chaser."  
  
They continued talking about Quidditch, and I sighed. No matter what we started out talking about, the conversation always seemed to turn back to the same thing: Quidditch. It was really starting to get annoying. Sure, I loved the sport, but I didn't feel the urge to talk about it 24/7.  
  
After a while, Ron and Lavender headed upstairs for bed, leaving only Harry, Dean, Seamus, and myself. Harry and I watched in comfortable silence as Seamus and Dean played their chess game.  
  
"Check," Dean grinned.  
  
"Knight to D-4," Seamus countered. He smirked as his knight took out the bishop that was threatening his king, and Dean cried out indignantly.  
  
"Fine," he muttered under his breath. "You wanna play that way, fine, whatever." He sat with his chin in his hand, contemplating his next move. "Queen to C-7."  
  
Seamus grinned evilly. "Man, I'm sorry, buddy. Bishop to D-2, and that's checkmate." All three of us laughed as Dean yelled, and slammed his fist angrily into the chessboard, then rubbed it tenderly.  
  
"I'm going up to bed," he said grumpily.  
  
We continued laughing, and Seamus clapped him on the back. "Good game, buddy, better luck next time."  
  
"Goodnight, Dean!" I called as he retreated up the stairs.  
  
"Night, Hermione."  
  
"I think I'm gonna go to bed too," Seamus announced. He stood up and stretched, waving as he went up the stairs. "Goodnight."  
  
I called goodnight to Seamus, then snuggled closer to Harry and leaned my head on his shoulder, as he dropped his arm from the back of the couch and wrapped it around my shoulders. I sighed contentedly, watching the flames dance in the fireplace, making strange patterns on the floor of the dark common room.  
  
"So," Harry began, breaking the comfortable silence. "How was your summer?"  
  
"Well, it wasn't the best I've ever had, that's for sure. There was all the worrying about you and Ron, and how our friendship would work out. And I was anxious to see Draco again... but obviously that didn't work out very well," I added softly.  
  
He reached up a hand to stroke my hair. "I'm so sorry, Mia. About everything."  
  
I gave a small smile at the new nickname he'd come up with, and shrugged. "It's alright. At least I have you guys back now. And it turns out that Draco's a complete ass, so it's all good." 'Forgive me, Draco,' I added silently.  
  
Harry shook his head in anger. "I still can't believe that little fucker. How can he not see that he can't do any better than you?"  
  
I shrugged, and laughed. "Harry!" I mock-scolded. "Where did you learn such offensive language?"  
  
He smiled mysteriously, then looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey," he said, as if suddenly having an idea. "Why don't I show you?" I looked skeptical, partly because I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he was talking about. "Really! I think it's just what you need."  
  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What are you talking about? What do you want to show me?"  
  
"It's a club," he explained. "In Hogsmeade. A lot of people don't know about it, but there's a passage to it right here in the castle. Over the summer, I got to the point where I couldn't stand the Dursleys anymore, so I used to go there at night, and eventually I started staying there overnight sometimes. So what do you say? Are you gonna come with me? They're expecting me to be there tonight."  
  
I was speechless. Harry, at a club? I did have to say I was a bit intrigued, and I wanted to find out what this was all about, and what kind of a place this was. "Okay," I agreed slowly. "Take me to this club."  
  
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A/N: I'm sorry, that was a bad ending, but it's been forever since I posted so I figured you'd want me to. Umm nothing to say, sorry it took so long for this chapter, hopefully the next one will be up soon, but it's nearing the end of the school year, so I'm loaded with work and applications and junk. So PLEASE review. Thanks! 


	4. The Black Rose

A/N: I apologize in advance, because I SUCK at dance scenes. Sorry.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"Okay," Harry grinned. "You'll love it, I really think you will. Now I'm gonna go change, and you should too. I'll meet you back here in ten minutes, and then I'll show you the way there."  
  
With that he disappeared up the stairs, and I walked sort of dazedly back to my room, thinking about what to wear. I really didn't know what sort of a place this was, and I didn't know what the appropriate thing to wear would be. I decided I would have to ask Harry, and I snuck through the common room to the bathroom to do my makeup. Luckily no one was awake; I didn't really want to explain where I was going.  
  
First I applied foundation, to hide the dark circles under my eyes that came from stress and too little sleep. Then I slid a brush of peach blush across each cheek, and added some black eyeliner to my bottom eyelid. I went with a dark midnight blue eye shadow, and smudged it a little at the corners to make it look smoky. I released my hair from it's pony tail, brushed through it, and was happy with the results. It was relatively straight, with only a slight wave to give it body, and it cascaded down my back to a little past my shoulders, where it ended slightly curled up.  
  
When I was satisfied with my appearance, I went back out to meet Harry, who was waiting for me. "I like the look, Hermione, but why the hell are you still in your pajamas? We gotta go!" he exclaimed.  
  
"I don't know what to wear! Come on." I grabbed his arm and dragged him through the portrait to my room, and practically shoved him into my closet. "What do I wear to this place?" For the first time, I took in what he was wearing. He had chosen a pair of baggy, black jeans, and a black Sum 41 t-shirt. "I like your shirt," I added absently. He gave me a lop-sided grin, then turned to the assortment of clothes in my closet.  
  
The whole left wall of my walk-in closet was dedicated to my Hogwarts uniform, and was lined with robes, skirts, and white linen shirts. The other walls were filled with various clothes, and Harry went straight to the back, searching for something suitable.  
  
He flipped through the clothes, and finally grinned, pulling out something, but he wouldn't let me see it until he pulled something else out. When he finally turned around and revealed the outfit, I put my hands on my hips stubbornly. "Harry, I'm not wearing that," I stated simply.  
  
"Sure ya are," he grinned cheekily. "Just go try it on, I'm sure you'll look great." He threw the outfit at me, and I sighed, bringing it into the bathroom to try on.  
  
After I put it on, I decided I was DEFINITELY not wearing this in public. "I'm not coming out!" I called.  
  
"Are you wearing it?"  
  
"Yes, but-" My sentence was cut off by Harry's alohamora spell, and he stepped into the bathroom. When he looked up, however, he stopped dead in his tracks and his jaw dropped. "See, I told you! Now get out so I can change!" I exclaimed.  
  
Harry finally seemed to get his voice back, and he protested. "What?! Hermione, you look..." He whirled his hand in the air, mouthing wordlessly, trying to conjure up the right word. "Stunning," he finished. "You look positively stunning. Look at yourself!" He gently turned my shoulder so that I was looking back in the mirror.  
  
Harry had chosen a pair of very tight, hiphugger leather pants. They clung to my legs, and then flared out slightly at the bottom. For a shirt, he'd chosen a deep red halter top. It had one loop to go around my neck, and strings that tied behind my back at the bottom, which ended about two inches above my belly-button. It didn't look bad, since I had all the right curves, but it made me self-conscious.  
  
"Come on!" Harry urged. I sighed and followed him, not bothering to resist his persistent tug on my arm. "We can use my cloak to get through the castle without being seen, but I think I forgot it upstairs, so hold on a sec."  
  
I found myself alone in the common room while Harry bounded up the stairs. 'What have I gotten myself into?'  
  
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Still Hermione's POV  
  
"Oof! Harry, that's my stomach!" I whispered. He'd led me through several unfamiliar corridors, down two flights of stairs, and we came into a narrow tunnel that we had to crawl through.  
  
"Sorry! I've never brought anyone down here with me. I said there was a passage here through the castle, I never said it was fun," he muttered. I laughed, but choked on some dust and began to cough.  
  
When we finally made it out, I stood up and dusted off, running a hand through my hair. Looking around, I saw that we'd come out into a dark, damp dungeon. The walls were all made of stone, and the dampness was cold. I shivered, both from the chill and from the creeps. "Let's get out of here," I suggested. Harry nodded his agreement, and headed for a staircase to begin climbing.  
  
The flight of stairs led to a small platform, which held another flight. Then we came to a ladder, which Harry climbed up first, then reached down to help me up. We'd emerged in a dark alley, and I adjusted my clothes before turning to Harry. "Now where?"  
  
He flashed a grin, and motioned for me to follow him. We turned out into a street of Hogsmeade. I didn't recognize it, but I could glimpse the next street a ways away, and spotted some familiar shops. "Where are we..." I muttered it mainly to myself, and Harry just kept going.  
  
We turned a corner, and all the sudden there was a line of people winding out the door of a dimly lit building, down the street, and around another corner. I looked to Harry to see what to do next, and he simply took my hand. Confidently, he made his way to the front of the line, pulling me with him through the mob of people. Most of them were about our age or older, wearing baggy jeans and t-shirts or skimpy skirts and tops.  
  
"Dave!" Harry was calling. "Hey, Dave!"  
  
The bouncer, a big, muscled guy who was checking Ids, turned at the sound of his name. "Harry!" he exclaimed. "We were starting to think you weren't comin!"  
  
"I was just delayed a bit," he explained. "So, what do you say, can my friend and I go in?"  
  
Dave blinked and looked to me, as if noticing me for the first time. "Well, hey there! Who is this, Harry?" he asked, winking at me.  
  
He just grinned. "Dave, this is my best friend, Hermione."  
  
Dave smiled at me again. "Of course you two can go in," he said, stepping aside to let us in. As I stepped into the building, my jaw dropped. The 'club' was, in reality, a bar, and it was complete chaos.  
  
"Busy night!" Harry yelled in my ear, to be heard over the music. I nodded silently, and followed him up to the bar, taking everything in as I went. The music was playing loudly, coming from the speakers surrounding the room. Girls were dancing on the bar, and two bartenders were running around, trying to get people their drinks. We had to push through the mob of people to get up to the bar, and even with Harry guiding me I couldn't help bumping into people.  
  
We reached the bar and leaned up against it for a moment, until someone came rushing over to take our drink order. "Hey Harry!" the guy yelled, clapping him on the back. 'How many connections does Harry have here?' I wondered  
  
"Jake!" he replied. "You got your job back?"  
  
The bartender, Jake, smiled, which caused his bright blue eyes to dance. "Yeah," he said. "Damon took pity on me, I guess. But anyway, how've you been? Who's your friend?" He said the last question quietly, but I heard it and gave a small smile.  
  
"Jake, this is Hermione, my best friend. Hermione, this is Jake Hunter, a bartender here at the Black Rose."  
  
I smiled, and shook his hand. "So, what'll it be?" he asked us.  
  
"I'll take two shots of the usual. Mia, what do you want?" I shrugged, clueless as to what to order. Harry turned back to Jake. "Make that four shots, thanks." Jake produced four shot glasses from under the counter, then grabbed two bottles. He twirled them in his hands, and dumped them upside down, filling all four glasses. He handed them over, and Harry paid him for them.  
  
I watched as Harry took one of the glasses and gulped it down in one swift movement. "Come on, Mia, try it. It's a little strong at first, but you'll get used to it."  
  
Following his example, I picked up one of the shots. I drank it, but barely managed to swallow. It made a burning path down my throat, and I coughed, making a face. I looked to Harry, still coughing slightly in attempt to get rid of the sensation. "How can you drink that stuff?!"  
  
Laughing, he shrugged, then downed his other shot. "I told you, you get used to it. I came here over the summer all the time, after I discovered the place. Came home wasted as hell a lot of times, but learned how to have a good time."  
  
I took my other glass in my hand and tentatively brought it closer to my mouth, looking at Harry. He nodded to me, and I managed to swallow it. I had to admit, it wasn't as bad the second time, and I smiled.  
  
"Come on." He took my hand again, and we went to a back corner of the bar. There was a small couch, a big armchair, a low coffee table, and a higher table with two tall chairs. There were only a few people here, in contrast to the dancing mob that crowded the main part of the room. There was a light blond-haired guy making out with a brunette on the armchair while simultaneously holding a half-empty glass of beer. Two more guys were sitting at the tall table, arm wrestling, with various empty glasses around them. A girl with red hair was sitting cross-legged on the coffee table, sipping from a margarita and talking to a guy with black hair who had his back to us.  
  
Surprising me again, Harry went up to the guy with black hair, and silently clapped a hand on his shoulder. He immediately turned, and broke into a grin when he saw Harry, showing off a row of dazzling white teeth. "Hey, Harry, glad to see you managed to sneak out tonight!" His gaze shifted to me, standing a little behind Harry. "And you brought Hermione, too!"  
  
I gave a puzzled frown as to why he knew my name, and stepped aside to get a better view of him. I saw his deep blue eyes, and the dimple on his left cheek when he smiled. My eyes widened as I realized who it was: Evan Mendel, the Head Boy, also from the Gryffindor House. After getting over my initial shock of seeing the Head Boy in a bar, I grinned, and gave him a little wave. Smiling, he returned the gesture, then looked at Harry again. "Decided to get a little wasted to get rid of the stress of the beginning of the year?"  
  
"Hey!" Harry exclaimed, faking excitement so that he looked like a little kid. "That's a good excuse! Come on, let's go get some more drinks!" I laughed, and so did Evan, but nonetheless we followed Harry back over to the bar. Harry and I each ordered one more shot Harry's 'usual', whatever that was, and Evan got Jose Cuervo. "To the beginning of the school year!" Harry proposed, and we all made a toast. I found that my third drink was actually quite pleasant, and I was beginning to feel a bit unusual.  
  
"Hey, Hermione, do you wanna dance?" Evan asked.  
  
I looked to him, a bit surprised, but smiled. "Sure. I'd love to." He grabbed my hand and led me out to the 'dance floor', which was actually just the middle of the room, where people were dancing. The song playing was Superman by Eminem. I grinned; I loved this song.  
  
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Two glasses of bourbon later, Evan and I were back out on the dance floor, dancing to 50 Cent's 'In Da Club'. Well, I was stumbling and clinging onto Evan more than dancing. When the song ended, he laughed. "Hermione, how bout we go sit down?" I nodded, and followed him over to the corner with the couch, but not without bumping into at least three people.  
  
"I think I'm drunk," I said irrationally. I seemed to have lost the ability to form complete thoughts in my head.  
  
Evan laughed. "I think you're right. Do you want to go back to the school?"  
  
I had to have been at the club for at least three hours, and going to sleep sounded very inviting. "Yeah, that sounds good."  
  
"Yeah. I'm not in the best shape either." Evan, having a higher tolerance for alcohol than I, had had quite a few more drinks. "We should find Harry."  
  
We had just gotten up off the couch to look for him when Harry came stumbling up to us, a pretty blond girl hanging on his shoulder. "Oh, guys, thank god!" he slurred. He was obviously wasted. His black hair was mussed up, sticking up in every direction, and he had to put a hand on the couch to steady himself. "Would you please tell this lovely lady that I have a girlfriend? She won't get off me."  
  
I doubled over in laughter, holding my stomach. Looking back on it, the situation wasn't quite THAT funny, but it was the alcohol acting. When I'd gotten myself under control again, I stood up and helped Evan dismiss the drunken blond haired girl. "Harry, we're going back to the dorm," I informed him.  
  
He nodded. "Me too. I think I've had more than enough for tonight. We have potions first thing in the morning."  
  
This realization dawned on me, and I groaned. Tomorrow was going to be hell.  
  
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A/N: Hehe, I told you I sucked at dance scenes, so I just kinda skipped it. Well, I know this chapter was pretty much crap, and I'm sorry for that, but I gotta develop it a little more before I can get to the real plot of this sequel. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review, because it lets me know what you guys think of my story. And feel free to be honest, it helps a lot. Thanks! 


	5. First Day Back

Chapter 5  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"Hermione. Pssst, Hermione! Wake up!" I groaned, opened my eyes, and immediately flung a hand across my face to block out the piercing sunlight. When I cautiously opened them again, I jumped. A pair of blue eyes stared back at me, and it took me a moment to realize they belonged to Evan. I tried to move, but there was nowhere to go, and I realized that we were on the couch, and that he was practically on top of me. My eyes widened as I realized that I didn't remember what exactly had happened last night. 'I went to that bar with Harry, we met Evan there... him and I danced...' As I was frantically trying to gather my thoughts, Evan noticed that I was worried. "What's wrong?" he questioned.  
  
I pressed both my hands to my temples, and sighed. "I think I'm going to be sick." Evan immediately jumped off me, almost tripping over the coffee table. I pushed past him and ran into the girls' bathroom, just in time to spill my guts. I felt a comforting hand rubbing my back, and my hair was swept back from my face. When I was done, I leaned back into Evan and closed my eyes, resting my head under his chin.  
  
"Better?" he whispered after a moment. I nodded, but kept my eyes closed. "Don't suppose you want to go to breakfast?" he joked.  
  
I snorted. "Don't even talk about food."  
  
"Well you still better hurry up and get ready. From what I hear, you have potions first thing?" I nodded again, and he continued. "Classes start in half an hour."  
  
"Plenty of time," I mumbled, turning my head and snuggling closer to him. I felt him shift slightly, his arms encircle me, and then he lifted me up as if I was nothing and carried me to the couch.  
  
I groaned; I still felt like my head was about to explode. "Here," Evan offered. "Take these." I felt something pressed into my hand, and opened my eyes once more. He was standing over me, holding a glass of water, and he'd given me two small pills. I graciously accepted the water, and washed down both pills at the same time. I immediately started to feel better, and the searing pain in my head was reduced to a mere ache.  
  
I looked up at Evan with wide eyes. "What were those?" I asked.  
  
He grinned. "Wizard medicine. Much better than the muggle stuff, donchya think?"  
  
I smiled back at him, and glanced up at the clock. "I'd better go get dressed." I reluctantly got up off the couch. For the first time I noticed that he was still wearing a pair of black jeans and a navy blue shirt. "Shouldn't you be getting ready, too?"  
  
He smiled and shook his head. "I have first block off," he replied.  
  
I made a face at him. "Lucky." He smirked at me as I opened the portrait to my room. "Be back in a few," I said before I disappeared.  
  
I changed into fresh clothes: the uniform skirt, white linen shirt, and Gryffindor robes. I sighed before opening my door, then solemnly went down the stairs to the common room. I really hoped no one was there.  
  
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I noted excitedly that Draco was the only one in the common room. 'Hannah and Terry must be at breakfast,' I thought. I was about to smile at Draco, but stopped when I saw his face. I walked quickly through the room to the girls' bathroom, almost in tears. 'What's wrong with me? Why doesn't Draco say something?' I wondered.  
  
My question was answered when I reached the bathroom and saw the note on the counter:  
  
Hermione,  
  
We're not safe. I fear that my father is watching my activities at Hogwarts through magic of some kind. Even away from other students, we can't act freely. I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I can't talk to you anymore, even when we are alone. I never wanted it to be this way, but we don't have a choice. Remember that I love you, Hermione. That will never change. -Love Always, DM  
  
A tear fell from my cheek and stained the parchment. I was about to set it back down when I noticed what it was set on before. It looked like a leather bound book, and I picked it up to examine it. I opened to the first page, and scanned the French writing: 'Noter vos plus vraies pensées qu'Aucuns mensonges seront montrés l'Action votre plus profond le plus somber secret Et seulement la vérité sera sue.' Roughly, it translated to: 'Write down your truest thoughts, No lies shall be shown, Share your deepest darkest secrets, And only the truth will be known.'  
  
Deciding that I would definitely examine it more later, I set it back down to take a shower.  
  
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Twenty minutes later, I was done with my shower and gathering my things to go to class. I slung my robe over my arm, and stuffed all my books and materials into my bag. I was on my way through the portrait to the Gryffindor room when I spotted the diary on my bedside table. I slid it into my bag along with my other things, and continued on into the common room.  
  
"Morning Harry," I greeted. He mumbled an indecipherable reply and waved a hand to dismiss me. I smiled, knowing how he felt. "Ready for potions?"  
  
He snorted. "How can you possibly be so perky?"  
  
I grinned wider. "Ah, but you forget," I teased. "Classes begin today! I love school!"  
  
"And here I thought that goody-goody Hermione was gone."  
  
I turned to Evan, my hands on my hips. "Who else would I be?" I demanded.  
  
He gave me his lady-killing smile that already had even the first years swooning over him. "I thought you were Mia now, the party girl who isn't afraid to 'walk on the wild side'."  
  
The corner of my mouth rose in a smile as I hefted my bag up over my shoulder. "Who says I can't be both? Come on, Harry, we wouldn't wanna be late!"  
  
Harry reluctantly followed me to the potions dungeon, and I took a seat next to him. Ron and Lavender were sitting in front of us, and Seamus and Dean were behind us. Draco was sitting on our other side, on the edge closest to me, and I tried my best to avoid eye contact.  
  
The tone rang for classes to begin, and Professor Snape took this as his cue to stride into the classroom. His black robe billowed out behind him as he stalked up to his desk. "Get out your quills and start copying ingredients from the board!" he barked. "You'll be working with whoever you're sitting by, so I don't have to waste my time pairing you up and listening to you complain." I smiled at Harry as we bent down to get our materials.  
  
"You take the first half," I muttered. That way we each only had to copy down half of the ingredients. I began scribbling out the second half of the list, then tore off the bit of parchment and got up to collect the ingredients, Harry following soon after me.  
  
"Okay," I began as soon as we'd arranged all of the materials on our desk. "So, we set the cauldron to exactly 403 degrees." Harry nodded, and adjusted the heat. "You can start reading ahead in the directions, and keep an eye on the temperature. Let me know when it gets to 403. I'll cut up the wortroot."  
  
It wasn't until about five minutes later that we spoke again. "Uh, Hermione, it's at 403 now," Harry informed me.  
  
"Okay, here we go." I dumped in the chopped roots at the same time that Harry poured in the Beetle Juice. "Quick, quick, now keep stirring it," I instructed. I added the rest of the ingredients. "Now stir it for two more minutes."  
  
He followed my directions, then set down the spoon and looked at me. "Now what?"  
  
"Now we wait," I smiled, leaning back in my chair and stretching. "Feel better yet?" I asked, unable to contain a small grin.  
  
"A little," he confirmed. "Maybe I should take it a little easier next time."  
  
I laughed. "That might be a good idea. How did you 'discover' that place anyway? I never figured you to be the party type, Harry."  
  
One corner of his mouth rose in a grin. "Well, now that is quite an interesting story," he began, only somewhat sarcastically. "I was eating lunch at the food court in the mall one afternoon, and there was this cute girl working at Subway." I gave him a look, with one of my eyebrows arched, and he got defensive. "What? Just because of Ginny doesn't mean I can't admire other girls.  
  
"Anyway," he continued, "Some old grumpy guy was giving her a really hard time, because she put too much mustard on his sandwich, or some shit like that. He made a scene, and an older woman who I guess was her boss came out, and started yelling at her. She made the girl apologize to the customer, fix him another sandwich, and then when he was gone she fired her. I guess the boss was in a really bad mood. The girl, Nicole, started to walk away, but out of the blue this guy comes up and grabs her arm. I'd been watching the whole thing and I was about to get up, when the guy started talking. Apparently she had just broken up with him, and he was, uh... a bit upset, to put it mildly. She yelled at him to let go, but he wouldn't, so that's when I did get up.  
  
"When I went over there and started yelling at the guy, he got all worked up and started calling her a slut and stuff, because he thought I was her new boyfriend or something. She called him an asshole, and then he slapped her." I gasped, horrified at the stranger's act of cruelty. "Yeah, I know," Harry agreed. "So that's when I punched him."  
  
I was almost as surprised at Harry's own act of violence toward the stranger. "Okay," I said slowly. "Is this coming to a point anytime soon? Like how you discovered the bar?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting there," he assured. "So anyway, I punched him, and he got a bloody nose, called me a little son of a bitch, and left. I asked the girl if she was okay, and she said yes, and we started talking. We walked around the mall for a couple hours, and I really started to like her. She kind of reminded me of you, Hermione. She's really nice, and sweet, overall a great personality." I grinned, and blushed a little. "Then, since she didn't have a car, I gave her a ride home. We exchanged phone numbers, and she called me up that night and invited me to go to the club with her."  
  
"Ah. I see." Harry grinned, and nodded. "Does anyone else know about that place? Besides the obvious."  
  
"Well, I know I saw Blaise Zambini there a couple of times, and Zachary Zanda, from Ravenclaw, and a few other people I think. That's about it."  
  
"Not Ron?" I questioned. "Or Ginny?" Harry shook his head. "How come you told me and not them?"  
  
Harry shrugged, but was cut off by Professor Snape before he had a chance to say anything. "I expect your potions are all complete by now? They should be a pale green color, and very thick."  
  
I looked to our cauldron and saw that, luckily, our potion matched his description. "Alright then, class. Drink up. I think we have just enough time to see the results of these potions. Oh, and don't worry... I'll give you the antidote before your next classes."  
  
I looked at Harry warily. "Did he ever tell us what this potion is supposed to do?" I asked. Harry shook his head. I wrinkled my nose as I poured some into a cup. The texture was lumpy, and I didn't know how I was going to be able to drink it.  
  
Harry, too, slopped some of the concoction into a glass. "Well... here goes nothing. Cheers." He clinked his glass with mine, then chugged it. When he set his glass back down, empty, he made a face. "Uugghh! That's disgusting!" I shuddered as I finished mine. "So," Harry drawled sarcastically. "Can't wait to find out what this lovely potion does."  
  
"I don't know, but it tasting that bad can't be a good sign." I shivered a bit, as I felt my veins burning, a sensation brought on, no- doubt, by the potion. I blinked my eyes as my head began to feel a little fuzzy. 'Well, at least it isn't a bad sensation,' I thought. 'This is actually quite... pleasant.' "Harry," I murmured. "Do you feel a bit..." I trailed off, not really knowing or remembering what it was I wanted to say.  
  
"Yeah," he replied sexily. His hair was falling into his eyes a little, and it was all I could do to stop myself from reaching up to brush it back. We continued to stare at each other, oblivious of the world around us, and I saw something in his emerald eyes that I didn't recognize. He leaned forward slightly, sitting on the edge of his chair, his gaze never leaving mine. "Hermione, I-"  
  
I cut him off by closing the small gap between us and pressing our lips together. Even as I did it, I couldn't believe myself. What the hell was I doing? What about Draco? I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't stop. I wanted him. I moved slightly so that I was sitting on his lap. His arms encircled my waist, crushing me to his chest, but still I felt that I wasn't close enough.  
  
'What the hell is going on?' I wondered as I opened my mouth to permit his exploring tongue entrance. 'I love Draco. I love Draco. I... love...' I couldn't even think anymore, and my hand found it's way up into his hair. Eventually we had to break away for a moment, gasping for breath, and Harry began to trace small kisses down my neck. I wasn't even aware of the rest of the room, and how they would all be watching us make out. My heart wanted it to stop, but my body had other plans.  
  
Harry's mouth eventually found mine again, and he kissed me passionately, with a hunger that matched my own. Even when we had been going out, I'd never felt this way for him, and we'd never kissed like this. One of his hands was now running up and down my side, while the other remained planted on the small of my back. I kept my hand in his hair, gently tugging on it, and let the other one slide lightly down his chest. He moaned a little into our kiss, and moved his hand up my back, raising my shirt a little.  
  
Just then, a loud slam interrupted us. "Class!" Professor Snape yelled. I jerked away from Harry, and he continued to kiss my neck. I saw the slight smirk on Snape's face, and wondered what was going on. "MR. POTTER!" he bellowed. This got Harry's attention, and he immediately stopped in the process of giving me a hickey, looking up at the Professor while a faint blush spread across his cheeks. "Alright. Now, Professor Dumbledore has severely reprimanded me for giving you this particular potion, and has demanded that I give the counter curse." He muttered some spell that I'd never heard before, and I felt as if I'd been snapped out of a dream. The burning sensation in my blood disappeared, as did my desperate desire for Harry. It was then that I realized that I was still sitting on his lap, and I scrambled off to get back to my own seat, blushing profusely.  
  
I kept my gaze on my desk as Professor Snape explained that the potion was a passion potion. Everyone in the class had been making out with someone, and I was glad it wasn't just me. "Class, I expect an essay on the effects of this potion by next class!" he shouted as the bell rang to signal the end of the period. I bent to gather all of my things up and put them in my bag, and was about to stand up when I felt someone tap my shoulder.  
  
I turned around to come face to face with Draco. My eyes widened as I realized what I'd done. I frantically tried to search his eyes for any sign of what he might be feeling, but he had his shield up. When he realized what I was trying to look for, he let it down, and I saw love and understanding in his eyes. Wordlessly, he held out my diary, the one he'd given me, revealing the reason he'd tapped me on the shoulder. I gave a small smile, then turned to leave. I was relieved to feel the comforting heat of my ring on my finger, and I smiled wider to myself.  
  
"Hermione!" I paused on my way down the hall, looking back at Harry. He was trying to make his way toward me in the crowd, and I pulled a little to the side to wait for him. I blushed as I stood there, remembering that kiss. It was rather amazing, actually... 'No! No, it wasn't! Don't think that!'  
  
"Hey Harry," I greeted as he came up beside me.  
  
"Hermione." I looked up into his eyes, surprised. He sounded really serious. "Mia, I have to talk to you."  
  
"Is everything okay?" I asked, worried.  
  
He shrugged one shoulder. "Yeah, I mean, I guess so... Just meet me in the Gryffindor common room after your next class, okay?"  
  
I nodded. "Harry, are you sure-"  
  
"Yeah," he interrupted me. He tried to smile, but I could see that it was a little bit strained. "Yeah, Mia, everything's fine."  
  
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I spent all of Arithmancy worrying about Harry. I really hoped nothing was wrong. I couldn't concentrate on the problems, and my brain kept wandering back to him. 'I hope he's okay.'  
  
It seemed like forever until the bell rang, signifying class dismissal, which meant lunch. I was the only student who didn't head for the Great Hall. Instead, I went to the Head rooms, which were closer to the Arithmancy classroom, then used the magical portrait in my room to get to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Harry was sitting on one of the couches, obviously deep in thought. He didn't look up when I came in, so I went over and sat next to him. He jerked, surprised, then smiled at me. "Hey," I said slowly. "What's wrong?"  
  
He shook his head, looking down at his hands. He was silent for a moment, and just when I was about to question him again, he looked up at me. "Ginny and I broke up."  
  
My eyes widened. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry, when-"  
  
He shook his head again. "You don't have to be sorry. I broke up with her. But she said she wanted it too."  
  
I was, honestly, a little stunned. I thought Harry and Ginny would be together for a long time. "Why?" I whispered.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't know," he replied truthfully. "I just didn't think we were right for each other anymore, and when I talked to her about it, she said she agreed but hadn't wanted to hurt my feelings."  
  
There was a little more silence while I was trying to think of something to say. I failed. "Harry, I- I don't know what to tell you."  
  
He sighed. "That isn't all." There was more? He had been pretty much avoiding my gaze, but now he looked at me and met my eyes. After holding them for a moment, emerald mixing with deep cinnamon, I broke the stretched silence.  
  
"Harry. What is it?"  
  
He tore his eyes from mine. "Nothing. Never mind."  
  
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A/N: Well! What do you think of that chapter??!!! Review and let me know, thanks!! 


	6. A Few Weeks In

Chapter 6  
  
Draco's POV  
  
For the past few weeks, my face had been fixated into a scowl. I'd been receiving more and more letters from my father, I was under surveillance by him through some kind of magic, I couldn't see Hermione, and, to top it all off, all of the Professors had started piling up the work. At least it was something to get my mind off of everything else that was going wrong.  
  
It had only been 4 weeks since classes had started, and I was already working my ass off to keep up with my assignments. I was in the library, sitting at 'my' table in one of the back corners. Various charms books were spread around me, and I was scribbling furiously, copying notes from '101 Charms For Everyday Use' onto my parchment.  
  
"Library closes in five minutes!" The librarian jerked me out of my thoughts, and I looked down to where my hand had been working mechanically. Of course, being a prefect, I was allowed to stay in the library as long as I wanted, but I chose to leave. I was almost done with my notes, and I hadn't been getting much sleep lately, so I decided to go back to my room to finish my assignments.  
  
I finished up my notes, and began gathering up all of my books. I placed all but one back on the shelf I'd gotten them from. The last book I'd had trouble finding, because it was located separately from all the others, on a shelf in the back. I bent down to put it away, but another book caught my eye. It was black leather-bound, and covered in a light layer of dust. I picked it up and blew the dust off, revealing the title: 'Spying Spells and How to Block Them'.  
  
"The library is now closing! Please come back tomorrow during hours!" I grabbed my bag and the book, exiting the library. It may prove useful to take a look at.  
  
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Hermione's POV  
  
"Mione, are you going to be doing homework all during breakfast? The sight of you concentrating that much is making even me hungry." As if proving his point, Ron helped himself to another stack of pancakes.  
  
"Shut up, Ron! Can't you see how hard she's working? Eat your breakfast and leave her alone. You know how much all of your teachers have been piling up the work?" Ron nodded at Harry's question, mouth full of pancakes. "Well it's been even worse for her, because she has more classes, and all her prefect business."  
  
"Oh," Ron said simply. I heard them both arguing, but tried to block it out of my mind. I ran my fingers through my hair, frantically trying to figure out a way to solve the arithmancy problem I was working on at the moment.  
  
Harry was right; the professors had all been trying to cram more and more information down our throats, and since I had signed up for so many classes, I had more assignments than I could handle. I was up until 3:00 am the night before working on a charms essay, and I'd fallen asleep before I could finish my arithmancy. Not to mention the Care of Magical Creatures essay that I had to write tonight, and have ready to turn in by the next morning. Oh, and then there was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions, and Muggle Studies, and...  
  
I sighed, feeling very helpless and frustrated. "Anything I can do to help, Mione?" Harry asked softly.  
  
"I wish. Only if you can extend the due dates for my assignments." I leaned my head against his shoulder, and frowned as I felt him stiffen. He'd been acting sort of strange for the past few weeks, and I couldn't figure out why.  
  
"Yeah, well, erm... I can't do that, I'm sorry. If there's anything else, let me know."  
  
'You don't know the half of it.' But just then the tone rang for the end of breakfast. I groaned. "Crap! I still have over half of these problems to finish!"  
  
"It's okay, Hermione, don't sweat it," Ron advised. "It won't be the end of the world if you don't turn it in."  
  
"Yes, it WILL be the end of the world, Ron! Because Professor Carlton doesn't accept late work, and then I'll have an assignment not handed in, and not only will that ruin my record, but it'll go down in my grades, and then-"  
  
Harry grabbed my shoulders roughly but gently, and turned me to face him. "Mione, look at me. It will be okay, I promise. You'll pull it off. You always do."  
  
I smiled at him. "Thanks, Harry."  
  
"No problem, anytime. And I mean that." He helped me gather up all my books and parchments, and put them in my bag. When I tried to hoist it up on my shoulder, I almost dropped it because of the weight. Harry gave me a worried frown. "Mione, you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, fine. You know me," I tried to joke. "Always carrying around the extra books."  
  
"Well sure, but you always seemed to handle it fine before. Are you sure you're alright? I've been watching you, and you haven't been eating much. Do you want to take something with you to class to eat on the way?"  
  
"Oh no, I'm not really hungry. I had a big midnight snack last night," I lied.  
  
"Okay, if you're sure. But at least let me walk you to class. Here, I'll take that." He took my bag from my hands and slung it over his shoulder, along with his own. "Come on."  
  
I followed him to my room, where he dropped my bag at my seat before heading off to his own class. "Thanks, Harry. Bye! See you in DADA."  
  
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It turned out that I did finish my arithmancy problems, because fortunately Professor Carlton didn't have us turn them in until the end of class. However, I didn't get so lucky in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I turned in an only partially completed essay. I got detention from Professor Hayes, which only made everything worse, because it meant I wouldn't be able to spend as much time on the assignments that were due the next day in all my other classes.  
  
So, I was sitting in the DADA room, carefully washing all the windows by hand. Professor Hayes had taken my wand, and told me I'd be spending my night cleaning. She'd already had me mop the floor, clean the desks and chairs, and organize all the books in her room in alphabetical order. The windows were the last thing on the list, and I only had one more to do.  
  
When I finished, the only thing left was to sit and wait for Professor Hayes to return. She had said she was needed in a special meeting, and would be gone for two hours. It had been an hour and forty five minutes, and I couldn't help thinking that the extra fifteen minutes could've been spent working on my essays, rather than sitting on a desk swinging my legs idly.  
  
Eventually, the professor walked in, fifteen minutes late. "Hello, Hermione." The way her voice sounded almost made me cringe, and I slightly recoiled from the hand she held out with my wand. "You may leave now, I suppose. Here's your wand back."  
  
"T-Thank you, Professor."  
  
She laughed, but it sounded more like a cackle, and I continued to stare. "Oh, don't thank me, dear. I haven't done anything for you. Nor have I done anything to you. Yet. If I were you I'd watch your back, Hermione."  
  
I drew in a shaky breath and grabbed my wand from her, quickly running out of the room. I jogged down the corridors, and didn't slow until I was in my room, door safely closed and locked behind me.  
  
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A/N: OMG I'M SO SORRY!!! I know it took me FOREVER to post this, and I am sooo sorry, and I also know that this chapter sucks, and I'm sorry for that too. I have major writer's block, so I started another story to get my mind off of it, which wasn't a good idea because then I just worked on that story. It's Only the Beginning, if you want to check it out, but it's a Hermione/Harry fic. Anyway, I promise I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Until then, please review and let me know what you think. Also, if anyone has any ideas at all for this fic, please leave them in a review or feel free to email or Instant Message me. Thank you!! 


	7. Headed Downhill

Chapter 7  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
A knock on the portrait in my room interrupted my writing, and my quill made an ugly ink blotch on my potions essay. "Come in," I called. I knew it was either Evan or Harry, because they were the only ones I knew of that knew where my portrait was. It swung open to reveal both of them, and they stepped inside. "Hey guys. Come on in," I repeated.  
  
Harry took a seat on my bed, while Evan perched himself in my window seat. "Hey Mione. We were thinking you might want to go to Black Rose with us tonight?"  
  
"Sorry, Harry," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. It seemed to be becoming a habit of mine. "I've got way too much work to do, and there's a prefect meeting down in the common room to come up with plans for the Halloween event. There's no way I can go tonight."  
  
"Oh. Okay." He looked really disappointed.  
  
"Hey listen," I began, turning around in my chair. "You won't believe what just happened to me in detention."  
  
"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good," Evan predicted.  
  
"It wasn't good. I think something is wrong with Professor Hayes. She got all weird and was really starting to creep me out. She sounded... evil. There's no other way to put it. She told me that she 'hadn't done anything to me yet, but to watch my back'."  
  
"Well what's that supposed to mean?" Harry leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his brow furrowed.  
  
"I don't know, but it can't be good, can it? I mean, I can't believe this is happening again, after all the other bad DADA teachers we've gone through. There's no other explanation; there's gotta be something wrong about her."  
  
"I agree," Harry said slowly. "But what is it?"  
  
I shrugged, and looked to Evan, who looked just as clueless. "My advice is to do as she said: watch your back, Hermione. We don't want anything to happen to you." Harry nodded his agreement.  
  
"Don't worry, I will. But I also want to find out what's up with this woman."  
  
Harry was about to respond when a knock came on my door. "Granger!" a masculine voice barked. "It's time for the meeting!"  
  
"Be right there!" I said irritably. I turned back to the two guys. "Sorry, I've gotta go. I'll see you later, have fun at the club."  
  
"Alright. Bye, Mione."  
  
I changed into pajamas before I headed downstairs, stopping to grab some parchment and a quill. As was usual, Draco was slung across his couch, and Terry and Hannah were together on Terry's. I took a seat on the floor against my own small couch, and looked around at them. "Soo..."  
  
Hannah laughed. "Any brilliant ideas stored up in there, Hermione?"  
  
I shook my head. "Sorry, nope. I'm afraid my brain is pretty much fried. Been doing a bit too much work lately, not enough sleep."  
  
"Same here," Draco agreed. I looked to him with an eyebrow raised, and he quickly amended, with his voice sharper. "None of us are getting any sleep, so quit complaining, Granger!"  
  
"I hate to agree with Malfoy," Terry glared, "But he's right. The professors are going crazy on us."  
  
I nodded. 'Things certainly are crazy. You have no idea.' I didn't say anything out loud, and it was silent for a moment as we all thought.  
  
"What about a fun house?" Hannah said slowly.  
  
It took me a minute to process what she was saying, but when I did, I looked up at her with wide eyes. "That's a great idea! What do you guys think?" At their blank looks, Hannah explained what a fun house was. Once he heard about it, Terry agreed, and Draco shrugged submissively.  
  
"This is so awesome, I love fun houses. I can't wait to start planning this!" Grinning widely, I situated myself so I was laying on my stomach, supported by my elbows, with the parchment underneath me. I scrawled 'FUN HOUSE' at the top, and underlined it.  
  
"So, what should we have in this thing?" Hannah asked, eyes glittering mischievously.  
  
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I sighed as I fell into bed. The prefect meeting lasted until 11:00, and I had to come back up to my room and finish my potions essay. And then I had to do some research for transfiguration, as well, and arithmancy problems, and finally another essay for Muggle Studies. I was sure I'd figured out the definition for cramming, as in for a test: Professors literally CRAM so much information down your throat that eventually your head gets too full and explodes.  
  
I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Unfortunately, I could have sworn it was only a minute later when I heard a door slam across the hall. Since Draco obviously couldn't come in and wake me as he used to, we'd come to a silent arrangement that he would simply slam his door loud enough to wake me up. Normal behavior for him, and it normally woke me up. If not, Harry would come in five minutes before breakfast and I would have to rush to get there on time.  
  
I rolled over, pulling the covers over my head and groaning into my pillow. My head was pounding and all my muscles felt sore. After laying there for a few more moments, I slowly rolled my feet to the ground. I almost blindly grabbed a uniform and robes from my closet, and stumbled down the stairs and into the bathroom, which was fortunately open.  
  
My head was still throbbing, and black spots were obscuring my vision as I slowly got dressed. I leaned against the sink for a moment, and splashed water on my face, then looked up to stare into the mirror.  
  
My eyes were bloodshot, from stress and lack of sleep, and while they used to portray my emotions, they were now dull brown and lifeless. My hair was previously full and shiny, and was now limp. The girl in the mirror was very skinny, with awkward limbs and nothing but skin and bones. The girl I saw, however, was chubby. I turned sideways and measured my waist with my hands. "I'm so fat," I mumbled. Sighing, I turned and left the bathroom, taking my pajamas with me back up to my room.  
  
I started shoving my books and school materials into my bag, but paused when I came across the diary. I hadn't gotten the chance to write anything in it yet. I stopped what I was doing, and took it over to my desk. I sat down, and took out a quill.  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
I got this book from Draco, when he left me a note saying that we couldn't see each other anymore. It was almost two and a half weeks ago, but I haven't had time to write before now. The professors are throwing so many assignments at us, I don't know how much longer I'll be able to keep up.  
  
I haven't been getting much sleep, and even my looks are paying the price. I look awful. I'm so fat, and I need to lose some weight. But now I gotta go, because it's time for breakfast. (Great, just what I need.)  
  
I slipped the diary into my bag, right when I heard a knock from my portrait. Harry was just on time. He stepped in, and looked surprised when he saw me already awake, giving me his sideways smile. "Well, um, I was gonna wake you up, but since you're already awake... would you care to join me for breakfast?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," I said. I began to stand up, but had to grab hold of Harry's shoulder as a sudden wave of dizziness swept over me.  
  
"Hermione? Are you alright?" I could plainly hear the frightened concern in his voice.  
  
I blinked to try to clear my vision, and looked up at him. "Yeah... sorry, I just got a bit dizzy. I'm better now."  
  
"Are you sure?" His brow was furrowed anxiously.  
  
I nodded. We left through the Gryffindor common room, and traveled the familiar way to the Great Hall. Ron and Ginny and all the others had already gone. "How was the club last night?"  
  
"It was great, I wish you could've been there."  
  
I shook my head, pressing my hand to my temple. "There was no way I could've gone. I had that meeting, and then a ton of work to do. I didn't get to bed until about 3:00 AM."  
  
Harry's jaw dropped. "No wonder you look so tired! Hermione, you really need to get more sleep! Maybe you could talk to your professors, or..."  
  
I was already shaking my head. "I can't. I'm a prefect, I should be able to handle it." Before Harry could reply, we had entered the Hall. I took the seat between Ron and Evan, and Harry sat across the table, next to Dean and Seamus. Since Harry and Ginny broke up, she'd taken to sitting a little ways away, with some other girls in her year.  
  
"Look who decided to join us!" Evan joked as I sat down. I gave a small smile, but even to me it felt fake. Immediately Evan dropped his smile. "What's wrong, Mia?"  
  
I put my head down on my arms and my voice was muffled as I replied. "Nothing, I just don't feel the greatest. I'm sure I'll be fine."  
  
"Are you sure? Maybe you should come with me after breakfast, I can give you something to take if you want."  
  
"Yeah, alright," I agreed.  
  
"You know, Mione, I think it'll help if you eat something," Ron added. Lavender nodded her agreement, and offered me a roll of bread.  
  
I shook my head firmly. The last thing I needed was something to eat, it would only make me fatter. "No, thanks, I'm really not hungry," I lied.  
  
"Are you positive?" Lavender asked. "It can't hurt, can it?" I nodded, and she gave up.  
  
I almost fell asleep right there at the table, but was quickly startled awake by the tone sounding, signaling the end of breakfast. Groaning, I slid up from the bench. "Could I come with you, Evan?"  
  
"Of course. Come on, I have some of that medicine up in my room." I realized that I'd never seen the Heads rooms before, so I followed him. We took turns into corridors I'd never been in before, and finally arrived at a painting of a small fairy with blue wings. "Hula hoops," he announced, and it swung open. "You stay here," he told me as he entered, "And I'll run up and get it."  
  
As I stepped into the common room, I was awestruck. I remember last year when I thought our common room was gorgeous... it was nothing compared to this. Of course, it only had two large couches, encircling the fireplace. The room was painted in yellow and blue, giving it a cheerful look, especially with the sunlight streaming in through the many windows and skylights. As I took in the beautiful room, he bounded up a flight of stairs on the right side of the room. "Wait!" I called, stopping him in his tracks.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, turning around.  
  
I grinned. "This is amazing. Can I see your room?"  
  
He waved his hand toward him in a gesture that told me to follow, and continued up the stairs. At the top of the flight of stairs was a small hallway, ending in a small bay window overlooking the Forbidden Forest. There was one door on the right, presumably Evan's bedroom door. It was made of dark oak and looked rather heavy, with a gold doorknob.  
  
I almost gasped out loud when he opened the door. Noticing my reaction, Evan turned and smiled. "That was my first reaction, too," he confided.  
  
The theme was, of course, the tired old Gryffindor colors, but somehow the room was so amazing that it made the color scheming seem very elegant. The bed was much like mine, in the middle of the room so that it was the main focal point. There was a desk, complete with shelves and shelves full of books, and, typical for a guy's room, it was a total disaster. It had a walk-in closet, a full-length mirror, a futon-type day bed, and even a giant maroon bean bag chair. Like my own room, it had a balcony, except this one was larger and even included a hot tub.  
  
"Oh my god!" I exclaimed. "I hope I get this room next year!"  
  
Evan grinned, already madly tossing things around his room to look for the medicine he promised me. "Don't worry, you will. You're the only person I can think of who could be Head Girl."  
  
I shook my head sadly, looking down at the ground. "I hope you're right, but I just don't know. I used to think that too, but this year... things have changed. I feel so swamped and... helpless." I hadn't told anyone this before him. I'd been keeping these emotions bottled up inside for the past few weeks. I didn't know what it was about him, but I trusted Evan. Completely. "School work used to be the one thing I could control, something I was good at. Now the professors are giving us so much to do, plus the extra prefect stuff, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't think I can handle it." I sighed, feeling good to have this off my chest.  
  
Evan had stopped his search to look at me. "Wow. I had no idea, Mia, why didn't you tell me? Maybe there's something I can do, something to help-" He cut off when he saw me shaking my head. "I don't know what it is with your professors. Hayes seems to really have it in for you, though." My only response was to sit down on his bed and run my fingers through my hair. "I know you have it in you, Mia," he said softly.  
  
I looked up at him and smiled. He caught my gaze, and his eyes shone as he smiled back at me.  
  
A few moments later, he had finally found a bottle, and produced two small pills from inside. After I took the amazing wizard medicine, I instantly began to feel a bit better. I was still a bit nauseous and dizzy, but the pounding in my head diminished to a dull ache, and was soon gone. "Thank you," I sighed, relieved.  
  
"No problem. Which class do you have now? You want me to walk you there?"  
  
"Potions, and no, it's alright, I'll be fine. Thank you, though. Awesome room, by the way."  
  
He grinned again. "Yeah, I know. I'll see you at lunch?" I nodded. "Bye!" he called as I was on my way down the stairs.  
  
Miraculously, I found my way back to familiar hallways, and from there I made my way to the potions dungeon. I found that I was growing weaker, and my book bag was weighing heavily on my shoulders. 'It must be from lack of sleep,' I convinced myself.  
  
I'd thought before that the dizziness was starting to get better... I was wrong. As I was walking down the stairs a sudden wave swept over me, and I stopped, grabbing the railing for support. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them in attempt to get over the feeling, but it was no use. I needed to sit down. Cautiously, I began to continue down the stairs. That was a bad move. My knees gave out, but before I hit the ground, I felt strong arms around me, supporting my weight with seemingly no effort.  
  
I was turned around in the arms, and held against a muscular chest. When I dared open my eyes, I confirmed my thoughts: greeting me were they grayest pair of eyes I'd ever seen, currently clouded over with concern.  
  
"Thanks, I'm fine," I mumbled. I saw disbelief flash across Draco's eyes, along with another emotion that I soon recognized as helplessness. He didn't believe me, but knew that there was nothing he could do.  
  
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A/N: Sorry!!!!!!! I'm so sorry I haven't posted in forever, but finals are coming up in less than two weeks! EEEK!! Anyway, I'm sorry, I know this chapter sucks, but I wanted to at least get something out for you guys. It might be awhile before I can post again, but soon I'll be out of school and I'll have a TON more time to write. Thank you so much for being patient, and thanks to my reviewers, who are my only encouragement to keep writing. 


	8. Drinking Game

Chapter 8  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
"What do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" I turned as best I could, still in Draco's arms, toward the new voice. I saw Harry standing at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed over his chest, and he looked furious. "Get your hands off her!"  
  
"No problem, Potter. I don't know what the filthy Mudblood was thinking, she ran right into me. Watch where you're going next time, Granger!" Draco's eyes had shielded over once again, and my own clouded over with tears.  
  
He let me go, leaving me standing on legs that felt like Jello. Somehow I made it down the stairs, and collapsed into Harry's arms. Surprised, he hoisted me up a bit. "Mia?" he cried alarmingly. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah," I replied weakly.  
  
"No. No, you're not, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." I pushed away from him and stood on my own. "I'm fine. Just a moment of dizziness, that's all. It's passed." Harry looked like he still didn't believe me. "We need to get to class or Snape is going to kill us," I added. He nodded, and insisted on carrying my book bag to the dungeon, where he kindly left it at my seat, sitting beside me.  
  
Potions class ran smoothly, with the exception of Neville spilling a concoction over his arm and getting burned pretty badly. Nothing Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix. After what seemed like years, the class was dismissed. Numbly, I packed up all my things and began to walk toward the next class, Herbology. However, I stopped when I heard my name being called.  
  
"Hermione!" I turned to see Harry and Ron running up behind me. "Are you deaf?" Ron asked. "We were calling and calling for you!"  
  
"Sorry," I stated. My voice was flat and emotionless.  
  
Ron just shrugged, but Harry furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?" Ron looked surprisingly at Harry.  
  
"Nothing. Why would you think something's wrong?" I questioned.  
  
"I don't know, you just-"  
  
"I'm just tired," I insisted. "That's all. Just really tired." 'Just tired', I repeated to myself.  
  
"Well, alright, if you're sure," Harry sighed in defeat.  
  
"I'm positive. Now come on, let's get to Herbology." The three of us walked side-by-side across the lawn to the greenhouse, before Ron stopped to walk with Lavender.  
  
I groaned once the greenhouse was in sight. "You have no idea how much I don't want to go to class."  
  
Harry stopped in his tracks and grabbed my shoulder, tanking me back so that I also stopped. "So why are we?"  
  
"Why are we what?" I asked warily.  
  
"Why are we going to class? It couldn't hurt to ditch just once."  
  
I worked my mouth wordlessly. "Harry!" I finally managed to exclaim. "What are you thinking?"  
  
Before he could answer me, Ron came up behind us with his arm around Lavender's waist. "Hey Ron, tell Professor Sprout that Hermione is sick so I'm staying with her for this period." Confused, Ron nodded, and they continued into the classroom.  
  
"Harry, what are you doing?" He had taken hold of my upper arm and was quickly walking away from the greenhouse and back toward the castle.  
  
"Teaching you how to have fun."  
  
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Still Hermione's POV  
  
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." It was now about forty-five minutes into the Herbology class... and I was following Harry down the passage to the Black Rose.  
  
Harry laughed. "You'll have fun. I think this is just what you've been needing: a break from school, to relieve stress. And besides," he added, turning around to accentuate his point. "You look absolutely amazing. Gorgeous."  
  
"Yeah right," I scoffed. I thought I looked horrible. I was so fat, and my hair was ugly, I was just ugly overall.  
  
People at the bar seemed to have a different opinion. Being midday, there weren't many people there. Jake was working the bar, and he let out a low whistle when we walked in. "Why helloooo Mia!" he called. As we approached the bar, his eyes raked over my body before coming to rest on my face once again. "You're beautiful!"  
  
I gave him a small smile, but denied it nonetheless. "No I'm not, you're just being polite."  
  
"Yes you are, and you're being modest." He winked at me. "Anyway, what are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be off learning useless information that you'll forget after this year?"  
  
Harry laughed. "Yes, well, as appealing as that sounds, I believe that Hermione here needs a break. She's been driving herself crazy over school, and we didn't want to go to class, so we ditched and came here instead."  
  
Jake nodded knowingly. "Alright then. That works for me. I'm glad you two are here, there isn't much to do around this time of day. What can I get you?"  
  
Harry looked to me, and I just gazed right back at him. Then he turned to Jake. "Let's make it six shots today, Jake."  
  
"Six??" I exclaimed.  
  
"You know, you're right," he said, looking thoughtful. "Make that eight." Jake smiled and produced two more shot glasses.  
  
"Harry!!" I shrieked.  
  
He looked at me and made a calming motion with his hands. "Chill, Mia. This is just to start off!" I rolled my eyes. "You wanna make a game out of it?" Seeing the look on my face, he explained. "You try and beat me at drinking. You know, see who can hold more alcohol. Obviously you won't last very long, but you know, it's still fun."  
  
I narrowed my eyes at him. "That sounds like a challenge, Mr. Potter."  
  
I could see the twinkle behind his emerald eyes and I knew he meant it that way, but he shrugged. "Whatever you say."  
  
"Okay then. Count me in. I'll beat you anytime, anywhere."  
  
"Now that's more like it!" Jake yelled, handing over our shots- four to me and four to Harry.  
  
"Ready?" Harry asked. I nodded, and copied him as he downed his first shot. He smacked his lips together and slapped the glass back down on the table, grinning. "You're going down."  
  
"Oh no, Potter. You're in for a big surprise." I tilted my head back and drained my second, and he followed. "Bring it on." Our third and fourth shots were quickly emptied, and Jake refilled them happily, watching our little 'competition'.  
  
Three shots and a few dances later, Jake declared a tie, to the protest of Harry and I. Harry was slurring his speech and moving sluggishly, and I had to keep a grip on the edge of the bar to keep from losing my balance and toppling off my stool.  
  
"I think maybe you should call it quits, guys," Jake laughed.  
  
"I think Jake's right," I mumbled. "Let's go back, Harry," I suggested woozily.  
  
"All right, all right, let's go." He stumbled off his stool, and I followed. "Thanks, Jake, see you later."  
  
"Bye Jake!" I called.  
  
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STILL Hermione's POV  
  
"Morning, Mione," Ron greeted. I half-heartedly lifted a hand in response as he sat down at the table, but kept my head on my arms. "What's with her?" I heard him ask Harry.  
  
"You okay, Hermione?" Harry asked.  
  
I took a deep breath and sat up on the bench. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Here, have a cinnamon roll." I almost gagged as Ron shoved a roll in my face, dripping with sticky frosting.  
  
I turned my head and pushed the plate away with my hand. "No thanks, Ron, I'm not hungry."  
  
Ron looked at me in disbelief. "How can you not be hungry? You're never hungry, Hermione, I don't get it."  
  
I managed a laugh, and hope it didn't sound as forced as it felt. "That's just because you're always hungry, Ron."  
  
"True." Everyone at the table laughed as Ron took another stack of pancakes onto his plate and dove in.  
  
When breakfast was done, everyone got up from their seats and gathered their things for class, still talking animatedly, while it was all I could do to keep standing up. I trudged slowly to class, following behind the group, just wishing that I could fall into bed and never wake up.  
  
I was concentrating on my thoughts and I didn't notice the Slytherin posse approaching until I heard them.  
  
"Well well, if it isn't the Golden Boys and their little Mudblood."  
  
My head snapped up at this. It was a voice I knew all-too-well, yet not the same person. Draco was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle-apparently he'd taken to letting them hang around him again. I also noted, disgusted, that Pansy Parkinson had her arm draped around Draco's waist. My blood boiled with jealousy for a moment. Why was it that just because I was in a different house I couldn't be with him? However, considering who it was, I almost felt sorry for Draco.  
  
"Shut your mouth, Malfoy!" Harry snapped.  
  
"Just get out of my way, Potter," Draco growled, before pushing past us. I couldn't help but follow him with my eyes, and of course Harry and Draco interpreted it the wrong way.  
  
"Don't mind him, Hermione," Harry said soothingly, putting his arm around me. "He isn't worth it. Look at him," he spat. Indeed, I was. My eyes were still following him down the hall. "Walking around like he owns the school, the stupid 'Slytherin King' or some shit."  
  
Slytherin King, Death Eater, Voldemort's Heir, even my mortal enemy since year one; it made no difference to me. He was the love of my life. "Draco Malfoy, you are mine," I stated out loud. Of course Harry and Ron both took it that I wanted revenge on him. No one knew the true meaning of my words, but that was the way it had to be.  
  
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A/N: I deeply apologize for the suckiness of this chapter!!! I have the worst writer's block in the world, and I'm bogged down with homework.... But I wanna get this story done with so I can work on Only The Beginning, which is on hold so I can work on this one. I'm so stuck though, it's not even funny. If you have any ideas, please leave them in a review or email me. Thanks for sticking with this story even though it's kinda going downhill plot-wise. 


	9. Determination

**Author's Note:** I haven't updated this story in about 5 months, but I recently decided to give it another shot. Hopefully I haven't lost all of my readers yet, and any new readers, I hope you'll enjoy the story.

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Hermione's POV

I lay on my couch staring up at the ceiling, and I broke my silence. "Can you believe it's only the end of October?" I sighed, directing my question to Hannah, who was sitting with her feet propped up on a table, reading. "I mean, tomorrow's Halloween, and that's great, but we still have the larger part of the school year left."

"Oh, I know!" she exclaimed, closing her book and looking over at me as I sat up. "With all this work we've already completed, you'd think we had already covered an entire school year."

"Aww, don't even start talking about work," I groaned, pressing my palm to my forehead and closing my eyes. "This is the only night since we came back here that I haven't been shut up in my room, working my ass off- excuse the language- trying to meet a stupid deadline for an essay, or arithmancy assignment, or some other stupid thing like that." I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And frankly, I think I needed the break."

"I know what you mean," Hannah consoled, coming over and sitting on the arm of my couch. "I thought my classes were tough, but I can only imagine what it's been like for you; you're taking more advanced classes than me."

I shrugged, falling back onto my couch with my arms behind my head. "It's been tough on everybody. I can't complain anymore than you can."

"That's not true," she argued. "Listen, Hermione. I've been wanting to talk to you."

I perked up, and opened my eyes. Please don't let it be the whole 'What's wrong, Hermione? Are you okay, Hermione? I'm worried about you, Hermione'. I'd been getting enough of that from everyone else lately, especially Harry. 

"I've been worried about you," she began. I sighed and rolled my eyes, anticipating the rest of the speech. "No, really!" Hannah went on. "Terry's noticed it too, and I'm certain Harry and Ron are worried as well. You've been acting strange lately, and we're all concerned. Don't think that we don't notice those 'dizzy spells' you get, or that you're getting weaker and weaker. No one ever sees you eat anything more than a few bites! You're as thin as paper, and-"

This was going too far. "Hannah, stop it. I just-"

"No," she argued, looking me in the eye. "This is something you need to hear. Now I know you've been holding up your grades, but just barely. You always have bags under your eyes from lack of sleep, and you don't have nearly as much energy as you used to. It's been this way for a while now, Mione, and a lot of people who care about you are worried."

I stared at her, waiting to be sure she was finished, before I opened my mouth. "Well, thank you, Hannah, for pointing out my flaws," I replied coolly. "Why didn't you just tell me how terrible I look, and how I'm doing poorly in my classes? Oh, _wait_! You did."

"Hermione, I didn't mean-"

"What? You didn't mean to insult me? To butt into my own personal business? Well I'm glad you didn't _mean_ to, but you did. I don't think you need to worry about my grades, or my looks. Those are for me to care about, not you. And I _don't _need your help, so just stay out of it, alright?"

With one last cold glance at the other girl, I got up and stormed up the stairs to my room, slamming the door behind me. I was furious to feel hot tears welling up, and blinked them back. I paced across the floor in front of my bed for a few minutes before plopping down into my chair and letting my head fall forward onto my desk. 

Underneath a layer of scribbled-on parchments, I felt the outline of a book. Wondering if it could be my transfiguration book, which I seemed to have momentarily misplaced, I pushed the half-finished essays aside. What I saw, though, surprised me. 

It was the leather-bound diary that Draco had given me. I flipped it open to the second page, and began to write.

_Dear Diary,_

_I haven't had time to write in a while, mainly because I've been stressing out over schoolwork. It's just been so hard these past couple months. I wish I could see Draco._

_The scary thing is, I don't even know how much I can write in here, safely. What if this book fell into the wrong hands? _

I stopped writing and ran my fingers through my hair.

_Oh well. I don't care. I really need someone to just spill my guts to right now……… but since I don't have anyone, I guess this will have to do._

_Everything's just been so confusing lately. Schoolwork is piling up, but I used to be able to handle that. I don't know what it is about this year that's so different. Maybe if everyone would just leave me alone! Tonight even Hannah went off on me, rubbing it in my face about how awful I'm starting to look and how behind I'm getting in school. Harry's the worst one, though. I can't stand him anymore! It's always 'Oh Hermione, are you alright?' or 'What's wrong, Hermione?' or 'You have to eat something sooner or later, Hermione'. Well you know what, Harry? JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE! I DON'T NEED YOU! I DON'T NEED ANYONE!_

I slammed the diary shut and threw it over into the far corner of my room. I just didn't want to deal with any of this anymore. The walls of my room were suddenly too confining, and the air was too stuffy. I swung open my bedroom door and went back downstairs. Hannah had left the common room, but I still bee-lined straight for the exit. I took a look at the portrait once I was outside; it was the one like the marauder's map, but only showed people outside the castle. I was glad that it currently showed no one out on the grounds.

I somehow made my way through the twisting corridors to the front entrance and ran outside into the cool, fresh air. It wasn't until I was already outside that I realized it was past curfew, and it was a miracle that Filch hadn't caught me on my way out.

I took a deep breath and began walking across the grounds, not quite sure where I was going. As my eyes became adjusted to the darkness, I saw the lake up ahead, glittering in the moonlight. That's where I'd go.

I must have sat in the grass by the edge of the lake for over half an hour, and I only snapped back to reality when a particularly icy gust of wind brushed past me and I shivered. I nearly screamed as I felt something heavy slide over my shoulders. I scrambled to my feet and looked around, but couldn't see anyone. The cloak that had been draped over me had fallen to the ground, and I bent to pick it up, unable to help noticing that it smelled like Draco. 

A single tear slid silently down my cheek, but I swiped it away before turning to head back to the castle. 

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Draco's POV

Sighing for what must have been the thousandth time that night, I crumpled the parchment I had been scribbling furiously on and tossed it onto the ground, where several other discarded papers already lay. I closed the book I'd been working out of and ran my hands through my hair. "Spying Spells and How to Block Them". It was the book I'd taken from the library several weeks ago on a whim, but it had proved to be actually very helpful.

The book went into very intricate details about many different spying spells, and there was one counter-spell that could block virtually anything. It was the most complicated spell I'd ever seen, and I'd spent the last few weeks trying to master it. I felt I was on the verge of figuring it out, but I needed more time. And with the teachers going homework-happy, extra time wasn't an easy thing to come by anymore. 

I remembered seeing Hermione out there by the lake just an hour ago, sitting all alone and looking so helpless. I wanted to be there for her. I needed to. And I needed her to be there for me. 

I opened the book in front of me with more determination than I'd had a few minutes ago. No matter what it took, I would master this spell. I owed her that much.

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